Where authors get personal about books, writing and their passions!

Mary DeGroat – Author of “Beyond the Last Horizon”

“Beyond the Last Horizon” is Mary DeGroat‘s debut as an author. A second book of fiction for women is progressing with plans for publishing early 2017. A concept for her third book is under wraps for the time being though the outline has been completed and the first chapter written.

Mary is an executive-level professional with more than twenty years’ marketing and communications experience within non-profit, marketing/pr agency, corporate and commodity board environments. She seeks moderate adventure that has taken her to Base Camp on Mt. Everest and on a wild-wide with her son through the jungles from the border of Tibet to Katmandu, Nepal. Those and many more travel experiences in addition to the diversity of industries in which she has worked —professional liability insurance to California strawberries, art and tourism —have fed her desire for expanded horizons.

Mary has studied metaphysics for nearly thirty-five years and met her meditation master from Indian in 1985. That meeting, Mary says, changed her life by opening her heart and steadying her mind.

Most recently, Mary left her position in tourism marketing to accept a part-time position working on behalf of underserved children with no literacy experiences. “It’s the most meaningful work I’ve ever done,” she says. “Week after week, we hear about the differences we’re making by bringing books into young children’s lives as we help prepare the little ones for kindergarten, which sets them on course to succeed in school and in life.”

“Beyond the Last Horizon” was published in December 2015 and has garnered three awards: Feathered Quill Gold for Inspiration and Silver for Best Women’s Fiction and the Reader Views Literary Award. Her second work of fiction, set New York City, tells the story of a wealthy woman who falls in love with a homeless man. Mary lives on California’s gorgeous Central Coast with her husband, two dogs, and two cats. She visits her son, who lives in Taipei with his wife and baby boy, as often as possible.

Listen to the interview:

Topics of conversation:

The Power of Decision

Writing and Writer’s Block

Writing from the Heart and Emotion

Advice for Others on any Creative Path

The Next Chapter

Beyond the Last Horizon

Whatever you think about… Whatever you can imagine… Can happen. Does a single thought have the power to change your life? Seeking fame, fortune, and love, the lives of five unlikely friends spin out of control. Carrie, Gina, Hank, David, and Sara will stop at nothing to reach their goals. Conniving, misguided pursuits take them from corporate boardrooms to exotic islands, yet happiness remains elusive.

Overwhelmed by chaos and crises, their paths intersect on a journey of self-discovery and each makes a decision that transforms their lives forever. “Beyond the Last Horizon,” based on principles of “The Secret,” inspires readers to change what’s not working in their own lives, and to imagine a destiny of their dreams.